Certain incidents happen in your life which you cannot forget and which has an everlasting impact on you. In today’s world where lies, deceit, rudeness, lack of trust prevail an act of kindness done to somebody gives a mental satisfaction and happiness and a hope that kindness do prevail. Life teaches you many things but one incident has taught me to have a belief in another person and also that if you are good to everyone all will be good to you.
This incident took place in the year 2002. I was working at that time for a social organization based in Mumbai which was fighting for communal harmony and peace. At that time communal riots had broken out in Gujarat after the Godhra incident in which many people were killed and injured. Since our organization conducts research and investigation on these issues we had been asked by our organization to personally go there and conduct this investigation. The in-charge of this whole investigation was my colleague Ms.Dipika Banerjee and I had to assist her in this whole project. The incident broke out in February and we had gone there in the month of June when still the riots had not been subsided there, few here and there, certain riot sporadic incidents happened. Since we were new to this profession and to this type of job we were a little bit apprehensive like how things will be there, and what lies there before us we set out for Gujarat.
We went to Gujarat and interviewed the victims from Baroda, Ahmedabad, Surat, and also from Godhra and Panchmahal districts. After going to Gujarat we were assisted there by the local co-coordinator from Gujarat Nancy as we were not fluent with the Gujarati language. As Panchmahal districts covered five areas and no time was left for us we decided that we will divide our work in this district. I was entrusted with collecting the case study from Pandarwada. We went to Godhra and from Godhra we had to go individually to take the interviews from the victims. Since the place was new I was a little bit apprehensive and to say the truth I was a little bit frightened. I was not fluent with the Gujarati language but somehow I got into the bus which carried me to Pandarwada. Before starting from Godhra I had called up a person (sorry cannot recollect the name) who was working in a bank to help me in contacting the victims. After reaching Pandarwada I called up the person and acquainted me with other person Mr. Salim (Name changed to protect his identity) an auto-rickshaw driver who will accompany me to the victims whoever I wish to interview. Even though I am educated and even though I am working for communal harmony I should not have those prejudices. But I did. One major thought which came into my mind was that I am from the majority community and he being from the minority community and at that time the situation was such that a minority community was being deprived by the majority community. I was a little bit hesitant about going with him but since I had no other option I had to carry on.
I began to collect my interviews and I noticed that he not only helped me in collecting the details. He addressed mw with respect. He did not show any one inch of lack of trust or hatred towards me. If anyone was not co-operating with me in giving the interviews he would ask them to co-operate with me. He realized that my interviews was going long and it was almost 6o’clock in the evening. He told me to hurry up and said “Madam please hurry up as 6.30 is the last bus for you to reach Godhra and the next bus will be there at only tomorrow seven in the morning. I hurried up and sat in his auto rickshaw and he left me at the bus-stand. What touched me the most was that he realized that I did not have any lunch in the afternoon and therefore bought a packet of biscuits for me so that during my journey I can eat them. While during the interviews I did not have any chance to talk to him and when we were at the bus-stand I just asked him one question why did he agree to help me in collecting the interviews inspite of belonging to majority community. His answer to this question made a lasting impact on me that “Didi Aap NE Tho kuch nahi kiya jo bhi kiya woh politicians lok ne kiya jinko ye sab karne se fayda milta hai. Aap ko kuch karne se kya mujhe mera bhaiya aur behne mujhe wapas milenge”. “Mein toh aaj itna kush hun ki mein ek normal insaan jaise jee sakta hun kyunki mujhe aapko dekkar na mujhe gussa aya, na aapko Marne ko laga. Bina Dharm dekkar mein bhi madat kar sakta hun. Madat karne ke liye dharm nahin chaiye jo chaiye who hai madat karne ki bhavna”.
In this he taught me one thing that one should not have pre-conceived notions about the other and one should always have faith in another person.
